There have been times in my travels (Poland 1986 comes to mind) when beer has been hard to find. But I'm sure that was nothing compared to trying to organise a pub crawl in the newly-defeated France of 1940"An American traveller who made his way from Nice along the coast to Port Vendres then via Spain to this country, relates that he found beer in one district at 10 francs a half-litre bottle - not less than six francs in addition being charged and returned for the bottle - and in another district beer of equally indifferent quality cost 14 francs the half-litre bottle, and 13 francs for the half-litre draught in a cardboard cup. And there the hotel or inn in question was proud of possessing cardboard containers at all. He found beer in Marseilles, but had to search for it a good deal, paying eventually 10 francs for a 250 centilitre glass at a bar counter."
"The Brewers' Journal 1940", page 882.
Random WW I and WW II stories. Maybe that should be my theme. Now what could I call it? "Summer of War"? That could just work . . . .
If I did my sums correctly, this traveler was paying 1/8d for about a pint and 1/2d for a half(1940 official rate)while searching for beer in the south of France. Was this a lot compared to prices in Britain at the time? of course, Beer in cardboard! Those sauvages!
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